FARMVILLE, Va. – After offensive eruptions in the first two games of the series between Longwood and USC Upstate, the pitching staffs defined the series finale on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans broke a tie by knocking in three runs in the final three innings to win 4-2 and sweep Longwood.
Longwood's
Mike Esposito delivered his best career start while the Upstate bullpen combined with starter Kyle Schmitt to limit the Lancers to a pair of runs. In his fourth career start, Esposito tied a career high with seven strikeouts and five innings of work before exiting with the score tied 1-1. He only gave up one unearned run on three hits and one walk.
"
Mike Esposito pounded the zone with his fastball and limited the free passes today, which is something we've asked him to eliminate," said Longwood head coach
Ryan Mau. "He had a really good start for us today."
Upstate took a 1-0 lead in the third before Esposito wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam with two outs, but the Lancers evened the score in the fifth.
Eric Crain rocketed a triple off the base of the center field wall, and
Jacob Mitchell brought him home with a sacrifice fly one batter later to make it 1-1. Crain tied for the team lead with two hits in the game and made a spectacular leaping grab to rob Upstate of extra bases in the second inning.
"I thought
Eric Crain had a big day for us offensively and made a heck of a play defensively for us," said Mau.
In the seventh, the Spartans broke through against Longwood reliever
Nick Fuchs. A leadoff triple started the rally, and Andres Kim broke the tie with an RBI single before two more singles made it 3-1.
In the eighth, Jawan McAllister drew a leadoff walk for Longwood, and Carlos
Garrido drove him home by lining a two-out single to right field that cut the lead to 3-2.
Garrido leads the Lancers with 24 RBI this season.
J.J.
Shimko, the top hitter in the Big South with a .402 batting average entering the day, swatted a solo homer to right field to lead off the ninth to push the lead back to two, 4-2.
Crain started a two-out rally in the ninth with a single to right field, and
Jacob Mitchell lined a single to left, but Upstate's Trey Van Der
Weide got a fly ball to center to end the game.
Van Der
Weide (2-2) earned the win after throwing the final four innings. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk against five strikeouts.
Nick Fuchs (1-5) took the loss for Longwood after surrendering three runs, all earned, on nine hits while striking out six without issuing a walk.
"We've just got to keep going, we've got to keep working," said Mau. "It was a competitive baseball game, and hopefully we're in another competitive baseball game on Tuesday. It starts on the mound, so hopefully we get some quality pitching again and give our offense a shot to get going."
The Lancers continue their 11-game
homestand on Tuesday by welcoming Commonwealth rival Virginia Military Institute to Buddy Bolding Stadium. First pitch is set for 5 p.m., and it will be a Pink Out at the ballpark.
#GoWood
